Glycerol is one of the simplest trihydric alcohols, with the formula CH2OHCHOHCH2OH. The name glycerol is preferred for the pure chemical, but the commercial product is usually called glycerin. It is widely distributed in nature in the form of its esters, called glycerides. The glycerides are the principal constituents of the class of natural products known as fats and oils.
Glycerin is used in nearly every industry. With dibasic acids, such as phthalic acid, it reacts to make the important class of products known as alkyl resins, which are widely used as coating and in paints. It is used in innumerable pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations; it is an ingredient of many tinctures, elixirs, cough medicines, and anesthetics; and it is a basic medium for toothpaste. In foods, it is an important moistening agent for baked goods and is added to candies and icings to prevent crystallization. It is used as a solvent and carrier for extracts and flavoring agents and as a solvent for food colors. Many specialized lubrication problems have been solved by using glycerin or glycerin mixtures. Many millions of pounds are used each year to plasticize various materials.
There are several routes to synthetic glycerine. One route involves four process steps—the chlorination of propylene to allyl chloride, the chlorohydrination of allyl chloride to glycerol dichlorohydrins, the hydrolysis of the dichlorohydrins to epichlorohydrin, and the hydrolysis of epichlorohydrin to glycerine. A second route is based upon three process steps—the oxidation of propylene to acrolein, the hydroxylation of acrolein to allyl alcohol, and the hydroxylation of allyl alcohol to glycerine. The third route also employs three steps: the epoxidation of propylene to propylene oxide, the isomerization of propylene oxide to allyl alcohol, and the hydroxylation of the allyl alcohol to glycerine. As can be seen from the above, much work has been done in altering the chemistry of the reactions while little investigation has been done with regard improving the mixing of the reactants to accelerate the reaction rate.
Consequently, there is a need for simple accelerated methods for making glycerol by improving the mixing of the olefinic alcohol and peroxide.